Point-of-care ultrasonography has been recognized as a relevant and versatile tool in Special Operations Forces (SOF) medicine. The Special Operator Level Clinical Ultrasound (SOLCUS) program has been developed specifically for SOF Medics. A number of challenges, including skill sustainment, high-volume training, and quality assurance, have been identified. Potential solutions, including changes to content delivery methods and application of tele-ultrasound, are described in this article. Given the shift in operational context toward extended care in austere environments, a curriculum adjustment for the SOLCUS program is also proposed...

BACKGROUND: Peripheral intravenous (PIV) access is a common procedure in the emergency department (ED). However, conditions such as obesity and hypovolemia can often make access difficult by the traditional landmark technique. The use of ultrasonography has improved the success of PIV placement in this setting. OBJECTIVES: A novel Ultrasound (US)-Guided PIV Access program was initiated in our ED to train emergency nurses, U.S. Navy corpsmen, and physicians. METHODS: This was an observational study of emergency providers performing US-guided PIV placement...

BACKGROUND: Torso hemorrhage is the primary cause of potentially preventable mortality in trauma. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has been advocated as an adjunct to bridge patients to definitive hemorrhage control. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether contrast-enhanced ultrasonography can improve the accuracy of REBOA placement in the infrarenal aorta (Zone III). METHODS: A fluoroscopy-free "enhanced" Zone III REBOA technique was developed using a porcine cadaver model...

OBJECTIVE: Prehospital ultrasound is being applied in the field. The purpose of this systematic review is to describe evidence pertaining to ultrasound curricula for paramedics specifically, including content, duration, setting, design, evaluation, and application. METHODS: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials were conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines...

The development of good quality and affordable ultrasound machines has led to the establishment and implementation of numerous point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) protocols in various medical disciplines. POCUS for major infectious diseases endemic in tropical regions has received less attention, despite its likely even more pronounced benefit for populations with limited access to imaging infrastructure. Focused assessment with sonography for HIV-associated TB (FASH) and echinococcosis (FASE) are the only two POCUS protocols for tropical infectious diseases, which have been formally investigated and which have been implemented in routine patient care today...

Ultrasound is a standard adjunct to the initial evaluation of injured patients in the emergency department. We sought to evaluate the ability of prehospital, in-flight thoracic ultrasound to identify pneumothorax. Non-physician aeromedical providers were trained to perform and interpret thoracic ultrasound. All adult trauma patients and adult medical patients requiring endotracheal intubation underwent both in-flight and emergency department ultrasound evaluations. Findings were documented independently and reviewed to ensure quality and accuracy...

AIMS: Despite extensive research on acute mountain sickness (AMS), the underlying pathophysiology remains unclear. Ultrasonography studies have shown that optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) correlates with intracranial pressure (ICP) in critical care patients, and recent studies report elevated ONSD values at high altitude. The aim of this review was to elucidate whether 1. measurement of ONSD could shed light on the pathophysiology of AMS, and 2. ultrasonography of the ONSD could support the diagnosis of AMS...

INTRODUCTION: In low-resource settings it is not always possible to acquire the information required to diagnose acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Ultrasound and pulse oximetry, however, may be available in these settings. This study was designed to test whether pulmonary ultrasound and pulse oximetry could be used in place of traditional radiographic and oxygenation evaluation for ARDS. METHODS: This study was a prospective, single-center study in the ICU of Harborview Medical Center, a referral hospital in Seattle, Washington, USA...

PURPOSE: We investigated the effectiveness of tele-mentored ultrasonography between emergency medicine (EM) residents and remote experts in diagnosing acute appendicitis. METHODS: This prospective observational study was performed in an academic emergency department. Beginning in June 2014, the EM residents performed the initial ultrasonography for suspected pediatric acute appendicitis; then, the remote experts observed/mentored the residents' practice using the tele-ultrasonography system; and finally, an onsite expert verified the diagnosis...

INTRODUCTION: The use of focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) in a prehospital setting is recommended. Pocket ultrasound devices (PUDs) appear to be well suited to prehospital FoCUS. The main aim of our study was to evaluate the interpretability of echocardiography performed in a prehospital setting using a PUD based on the experience of the emergency physician (EP). METHODS: This was a monocentric prospective observational study. We defined experienced emergency physicians (EEPs) and novice emergency physicians (NEPs) as echocardiographers if they had performed 50 echocardiographies since their initial university training (theoretical training and at least 25 echocardiographies performed with a mentor)...

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound (US) is a good first-line alternative for the diagnosis of bone fractures in adults as well as children. Our study shows that, compared to X-ray, in a resource-constrained environment, on-site US has a high sensitivity (98%) and specificity (96%) in the diagnosis of bone fractures. PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy of on-the-spot US with conventional radiography in the screening for bone fractures during the Paris-Dakar rally raid. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty-three patients (81 men, 2 women) with clinically suspected bone fractures were included in 2013 and 2014...

In the last 10 years, the use of ultrasound has expanded because of its portability, safety, real-time image display, and rapid data collection. Simultaneously, more people are going into the backcountry for enjoyment and employment. Increased deployment for the military and demand for remote medicine services have led to innovative use and study of ultrasound in extreme and austere environments. Ultrasound is effective to rapidly assess patients during triage and evacuation decision making. It is clinically useful for assessment of pneumothorax, pericardial effusion, blunt abdominal trauma, musculoskeletal trauma, high-altitude pulmonary edema, ocular injury, and obstetrics, whereas acute mountain sickness and stroke are perhaps still best evaluated on clinical grounds...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of "accelerated" training for military doctors in front line ultrasound. To establish the number of ultrasounds required to validate the doctor's training. To assess the average acquisition time for each ultrasound target. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study on 10 novice generalist military doctors to assess training for five urgent ultrasound targets: focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST), pleura, bladder, abdominal aorta and gallbladder...

Increases in intracranial pressure (ICP) may damage the brain by compression of its structures or restriction of its blood flow, and medical providers my encounter elevated ICP in conventional and non-conventional medical settings. Early identification of elevated ICP is critical to ensuring timely and appropriate management. However, few diagnostic methods are available for detecting increased ICP in an acutely ill patient, which can be performed quickly and noninvasively at the bedside. The optic nerve sheath is a continuation of the dura mater of the central nervous system and can be viewed by ocular ultrasound...

Incorporation of point-of-care ultrasound into the skill set of Special Operations medical providers should come with an appreciation of the potential limitations of the technology. We present a case of a U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier who suffered traumatic monocular vision loss after being struck in the eye during a combatives tournament. Evaluation in the emergency department (ED) included an unremarkable ocular ultrasound, despite a high clinical suspicion of intraocular pathology. Ophthalmologic consultation was obtained emergently...

BACKGROUND: While ultrasound has become an established diagnostic modality in trauma care, no study has evaluated its use in the prehospital setting. OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of the focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) exam in the prehospital setting. METHODS: After a three-hour training session in the FAST exam, the nonphysician flight team of an emergency medical services (EMS) helicopter program attempted a FAST exam on trauma patients to determine the feasibility of such an intervention...

OBJECTIVES: Focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) can define life-threatening injuries in austere settings with remote real-time review by experienced physicians. This study evaluates vest-mounted microwave, satellite, and LifeLink communications technology for image clarity and diagnostic accuracy during remote transmission of FAST examinations. METHODS: Using a SonoSite, FAST was obtained on three patients with pericardial and intraperitoneal effusions and two control subjects in a remotely located U...

This case report describes a novel diagnostic approach for ectopic pregnancy in a combat environment. We diagnosed a ruptured ectopic pregnancy at our combat support hospital by using the SonoSite 180 Plus ultrasound device (SonoSite, Bothell, WA). The live ectopic pregnancy was immediately identified and the entire pelvic anatomy was easily assessed within 5 minutes. The SonoSite ultrasound device proved to be easy to use, durable, and reliable. It produced high-quality images in a variety of applications...

Military medical units must be flexible and mobile to keep up with maneuver units on the modern battlefield. The requirements for unit mobility and maneuverability preclude bulky advanced radiologic imaging support, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging systems. Portable sonography is rapid, reliable, efficient, and user-friendly; it markedly expanded the diagnostic capability of our forward-deployed combat support hospital during Operation Iraqi Freedom. More than 400 ultrasound studies were performed during the first 6 months of hospital operations in Iraq...